Back to the future and/or past: Coolest time machines in movies and TV

Time travel movies always fascinate me. For one, I'm obsessed with going back to May 1985 so that I can: 1) See U2 again on the Unforgettable Fire tour. And, 2) make out again with Maria, the blonde Swedish exchange student I took to senior prom. Because, why wouldn't I? And so I'm impressed that the io9.com website sought out to make its own list of the top 10 coolest time machines in movies and television.

No. 1 on the list: The TARDIS from Dr. Who, which one could argue has a significant presence in the '80s. The other two on the list:

No. 10: The phone booth from Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure: "Loses points for being sort of similar to the TARDIS, but still pretty awesome. For one thing, it's piloted by George Carlin. For another, it descends from the sky during a weird thunderstorm."

No. 2: The DeLorean from Back to the Future: "Back to the Future's machine has got the weird eccentric appearance — one of the wackier sports cars of all time — plus the amazing tech, the Flux Capacitor. And there are the rules, like you have to be going 88 miles per hour and stuff. Mostly, it's just got tons of character, and it gets you when you need to go."

There's a ton of argument on the list about Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, where Kirk & Co. borrow a Klingon ship to slingshot around the sun. Is it really a time machine? Or just a method to travel time? If you're honestly contemplating this, you're missing the point.

What other '80s time machines did they miss out on? (The penny in Somewhere in Time?)

About this blog

Relive the '80s music, movies and culture with Tampa Bay Times correspondent Steve Spears. A teen during the greatest decade ever, Steve is obsessed with everything from Duran Duran to Journey, John Hughes to John Cusack, and parachute pants to big hair.